Abstract
Despite the investment in secondary and Higher Education (HE) in the UAE, student outcomes do not match expectations. For a country that aspires to join the global knowledge economy, this is a significant concern. This paper focuses on the views of undergraduate art and design students in relation to their teaching and learning experiences during secondary school and the impact this has on their studies. More specifically, this paper argues that the lack of art and design subjects during secondary education has an overall detrimental effect on educational progress at the post-secondary level, which consequently hinders the development of competencies associated with the UAE’s aspiration to join the global knowledge economy. This is a small-scale qualitative study based on an online survey of thirty-eight undergraduate art and design students. The issues raised in this paper have implications for undergraduate art and design education in the UAE, and in particular how well prepared students are to undertake post-secondary education and how well equipped graduates are to join the global knowledge economy.
Highlights
One indication of the UAE’s emphasis on education is the statement in the UAE Government Strategy (2010) that national social development and advancement can be achieved if student academic achievements in secondary and post-secondary education reach higher standards
This paper investigates the perceptions of undergraduate art and design students about their secondary education in the UAE
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the views of undergraduate art and design students on their teaching and learning experiences in secondary and post-secondary education in the UAE
Summary
One indication of the UAE’s emphasis on education is the statement in the UAE Government Strategy (2010) that national social development and advancement can be achieved if student academic achievements in secondary and post-secondary education reach higher standards This objective relates to the aspiration of the UAE to join the global knowledge economy through the contributions of university graduates who have the skills and competencies to facilitate this transition. In post-secondary education, massification of HE in the Emirates has opened university education to a wider spectrum of Emirati society and even though HE institutions and funding bodies are aware of the potential role they can play to contribute towards participation in the global knowledge economy (Wagie & Fox, 2005), underfunding is creating obstacles to these aims (Kirk & Napier, 2009) Added to these challenges is the burden of students’ joining HE with learning styles that are inappropriate for university study. It appears that the educational skills that would facilitate a successful transition from secondary to post-secondary education are not being taught: research indicates that in the UAE a large number of incoming students are not ready to learn at university level (Fox, 2008)
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